This is the shaykh’s explanation for the second point in the book entitled “Sharh as-Sunnah” by the great Imaam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ‘Alee ibn Khalaf al-Barbahaaree 329 AH.

Imaam al-Barbahaaree (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

2: “From the Sunnah is clinging to the Jamaa’ah. Whoever desires other than the Jamaa’ah and departs from it then he has thrown off the yoke of Islaam from his neck and he is astray, leading others astray.”

The Sunnah is general and it encompasses matters of creed, methodology, and actions. It also includes clinging to the Jamaa’ah (main body) of Muslims after holding firm to the matters of creed, methodology, and actions. If one were to establish these foundations, but he separates from the Jamaa’ah, then he has committed a grave affair and a tremendous innovation. He falls into the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي

“And he who turns away from my Sunnah, he has no relation with me.” [Muslim]

And it is sufficient evil for a man to be freed from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). This person also falls into His statement the Most High:

“Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.” [Al-An’aam: 159]

Allah has freed His Messenger from those who divide and break from the Ummah (nation) and the religion. Surely the gathering of the Muslims upon the truth is from the greatest elements of the religion.

A person (who separates from the Jamaa’ah) also falls into the statement of the Messenger (peace be upon him):

“Whoever sees in his leader something that he dislikes, then let him be patient with it, for indeed, whoever splits away from the Jamaa’ah (unified group) even an inch, and then dies, he does not die except the death of some in the Days of Ignorance.” [Muslim]

The author’s statement (“thrown off the yoke of Islaam”) is a portion from a longer hadith narrated by al-Haarith al-Ash’aree that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“…And I command you with five that Allah commanded me: Listening and obeying, Jihad, Hijrah (migration), and the Jamaa’ah. For indeed whoever parts from the Jamaa’ah the measure of a hand-span, then he has cast off the yoke of Islam from his neck, unless he returns…” [Ahmad, Tirmidhi]

This shows the seriousness of separating from the Jamaa’ah. This is a disgusting affair that has affected the people of desires. Therefore, it is upon the Muslim to establish what this hadith and others have proven, and that is the requirement of sticking with the Jamaa’ah, the truth and its people.